Kristen's" Fitness Is A Lifestyle" Daily Tips

Small Group Personal Training Clients, simple 5 day challenge... Monday Day I  Five 1-Minute Drills Drill #1: JACKS Drill #2: PUSHUPS (as many full, finish if needed on knees) Drill #3: FULL SQUATS Drill #4: Downward Dog into Full Plank (alternate, hold each pose for 2 counts) Drill #5: High Knee Jog REPEAT THE ABOVE DRILLS 2-3 SETS IF TIME ALLOWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tuesday Day II First thing in the morning: Drink 1 8oz of Cold Water. Include Citrus Fruit with your morning meal such as an orange or grapefruit. Main meal will consist of large bowl of mixed greens topped with an assortment of vegetables such as baby carrots, radishes, green & yellow peppers, & Roma tomatoes. The main goal: a salad is not just lettuce. Adding a variety of vegetables gives you an array of macro & micronutrients. With this meal, another 8 oz glass of cold water. Snacks will consist of berries, almonds, or a low-fat trail mix (about 1/4 cup). Your protein...

You will need a stability ball & a core ball for some of these. Modify as needed. Single Leg Extension, slow counts of 4 / leg in extended position 20 reps. Followed by 20 fast reps. Hold core ball above head if available. Stability Ball Supine Crunch 50 reps. Lay down on stability ball, entire back has contact w/ the ball. Wide base w/ feet for more stability and Feet in a narrow stance (on floor) to engage a few more stabilizer muscles. Stability Ball Double Leg Extension: Place stability ball between legs. Knees bend about 20 degrees. Head up hands underneath tailbone for support. Lower legs & ball towards floor & back up. 25 reps Side Plank. Rest on left forearm. Hips up. Hold for 25 counts. Rest on right forearm. Hips up Hold 25 counts. Repeat the above 3-4 rounds.

The list of trunk exercises below are to improve muscular endurance of the abdominal muscle groups. Mainly because these 6 muscles provide postural support all day long. Everyone wants to develop the most superficial muscle, the rectus abdominus, but the truth is if you eat too many TOTAL CALORIES and do not participate in at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise 5 - 6 d/wk then you will not see any of your hard work. Most important, having strength & flexibility in the trunk muscles will decrease chances of pulling or straining your erector spinae muscles, will keep your postural muscles in check, and you standing taller appearing more confident & fit. Start off with some lengthen drills : all 4's Angry Cat stretch (yoga ) extend & flex spine as you scoop in teh rectus abdominus towards erector spinae Cat stretch (yoga) from all 4's sit, knees on floor spaced further apart, extend hips/glutes back as you lengthen arms. SUPERMAN'S from full p...

This Sunday will be day 7 of the 12 DRILLS OF CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE and I'm guessing Sunday is usually a day off for most of you from workouts. So, instead of taking Sunday off, I am challenging you to complete the following: ROUND #1 Day 1: Jacks 100 reps Day2: Full Pushups 30 reps Day 3: Leaps 40 reps Day 4: Full Burpees 20 reps Day 5: High Knees 30 reps Day 6: Spider Crawl 20 reps Day 7: Tricep Dips 30 reps ROUND #2 Jacks 50 reps Full Pushups 20 reps Leaps 30 reps Full Burpees 15 reps High Knees 20 reps Spider Crawl 16 reps Tricep Dips 20 reps ROUND #3 Jacks 25 reps Full Pushups 15 reps Leaps 20 reps Full Burpees 10 reps High Knees 16 reps Spider Crawl 10 reps Tricep Dips 15 reps ROUND #4 Jacks 15 reps Full Pushups 8 reps Leaps 12 reps Full Burpees 5 reps High Knees 10 reps Spider Crawl 8 reps Tricep Dips 10 reps DID YOU COMPLETE IT? I want to know, check in with me. This is the first step in the PT program....showing me accountability. Letti...

Ingredients 1/4 cup rice vinegar 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 Tbs. sugar 2 cloves garlic, minced ( 2 tsp) 1/2 tsp. dried oregano 1/2 tsp. dried basil 1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained 1 15-oz. can pinto beans or black-eyed peas, drained 1/2 cup fresh corn kernels 1 cup cooked quinoa 1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, chopped (1 cup) 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup) 1 2-oz. can diced green chiles with liquid 1/4 cup chopped cilantro Whisk together vinegar, oil, sugar, garlic, oregano, and basil. Stir in all the beans, corn, peppers, onion, chiles, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving. Quinoa is a high quality protein. In fact, it can stand alone as a source of protein because it contains all the essential amino acids. This means, it will help rebuild & repair muscle tissue, especially after an intense workout that breaks down lean tissue. Quinoa is also high in fiber, low in fat & cholesterol, and...

2 rounded cups cooked quinoa 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (other other) 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese 1 medium carrot, finely grated (or, 1 cup shredded zucchini) 3 eggs 3 tbsps all purpose flour 2 green onions, including white parts 1/2 tsp Splenda or sugar 1/4 tsp black pepper 1/4 tsp ground cumin 1/8 tsp salt 1/8 tsp garlic powder Olive oil for frying To cook quinoa for the above recipe: 1 cup uncooked quinoa 2 cups water 1/2 tsp salt In a medium saucepan bring the 2 cups water and 1/2 tsp salt to a boil over high heat. Add quinoa and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 18-20 minutes, or intil all water is absorbed and the seeds are tender. Cool for a few minutes. In a large bowl combine 2 rounded cups cooked quinoa, cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, carrot (or zucchini), eggs, flour, green onions, Splenda (or sugar), pepper, cumin, salt, and garlic powder.  Cook them slowly on med-low so they have time to set up without burning. First, heat fryin...

In addition to your daily workouts at Fusion, I have a challenge for all the Small Group Personal Training clients to take. It consists of 12 days of drills with the number of repetitions provided. Each day you will do a new drill and work your way back up to the previous day's drill. On day 12, you will complete all 12 Drills. A fun challenge that should be fairly simple to complete - a great way to expend some additional Kcal's, improve mood, and increase stamina. DAY1: 100 Jump jacks (move fast,fully extended arms, all the way up & overhead) DAY 2: 30 Push ups (start in elevated prone position, complete as many reps as you can, do not stop once fatigued, rather place knees on mat and continue set) DAY 3: 40 Leaps (use aggressive arm swings to propel your body laterally with purpose) DAY 4: 20 Full BURPEE'S (drop down all the way to the ground, if by chance you must modify, then use a step in your house, a kitchen chair, or something else that is a couple inch...

Although I love bread, I've never been a big sandwich eater. The other day, however,  I just purchased, for the first time Ezekiel bread. Not too bad. Even better, it is full of nutrients. Ezekiel bread is a great energy source, full of complex carbohydrates and fiber. Better yet, it contains a complete protein profile because it is made of legumes and soy beans. The soy protein in this type of bread is high in arginine and glutamine  - both promote muscle tissue growth and reduce muscle tissue breakdown. Here is a sandwhich to try: 1/2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese 1 tbsp low-fat mayo 1 tsp lemon juice 1 dash Worcestershire sauce Sea salt & Pepper 2 slices of Ezekiel bread, toasted 4 oz roasted turkey breast. sliced thinly 1 Romaine lettuce leaf Mix together cheese, mayo, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, sea salt, pepper. Spread on one slice of toast. Top w/ turkey. lettuce, and remaining toast. Calories = 340g Total fat = 4 g Carb= ...